This quaintly goofy premise makes for pointedly neurotic Sleeper-ish fun, not to mention nifty digs at our culture of self-reinvention.
Comment
08/07/09
Cold Souls (2009)
75
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:107
Fresh:80
Rotten:27
Average Rating:6.4/10
Consensus: Straddling existential drama and surrealist comedy, Sophie Barthes debut feature is beautifully shot and full of inventive quandaries.
Theatrical Release:Aug 7, 2009 Limited
Box Office: $700,980
Synopsis: In response to shiny, bigger, better American consumerism comes COLD SOULS, first-time feature director Sophie Barthes' surreal comedy in which souls can be extracted and traded as commodities.... [More]
Starring: Paul Giamatti, David Strathairn, Dina Korzun, Katheryn Winnick
Director: Sophie Barthes
Reviews for Cold Souls
Top CriticSmart and funny, it's an amusing showcase for a great idea and the terrific Giamatti.
11/22/09
A sombre slice of surrealism, Cold Souls is a welcome opportunity for America's most agony-prone actor to do what he does best: suffer.
08/07/09
Top CriticBarthes gives the film a nice chilly, deadpan tone so that it easily wanders from black comedy to moments of genuine reflection.
08/06/09
Barthes gets bogged down in existentialism in the movie's final third, but until then she engages in some fun absurdist humor, anchored by a strong performance from Giamatti.
09/23/09
For those who like comedies that derive humor through absurd situations and dialogue rather than through more lowbrow methods, this film is worth taking a chance on.
08/12/09
Top CriticIf you could buy Cold Souls in flatpack form from IKEA, when you laid out all the parts on the living room floor they'd look a lot like the components for a Charlie Kaufman movie.
12/01/09
It's a simple query, and a fun one to explore, yet only a temporarily compelling conflict for a feature-length film.
08/14/09
Top CriticGiamatti stammers and futzes and self-loathes with the best of 'em, and his endearing persona and droopy-dog face can move the film along even when the narrative can't.
09/04/09
Top CriticThe film explores our inability and refusal to “look inside” and really try to understand our unconscious.
08/05/09
The pedantic borrowings from Kaufman are obvious. Is there any other "–esque" to be detected? There's Allen-esque, but that comes with the Kaufman-esque territory. Maybe Huxley-esque? The anxiety of influence hangs heavily here.
11/13/09
It shows plenty of promise at the beginning, and even though that promise isn't kept, Giamatti's performance will keep your interest.
08/07/09
For those who like Charlie Kaufman on paper but occasionally find themselves a little tested by his self-conscious meanderings in practice, the hilarious Cold Souls is a pleasingly tight and subtle execution of an eye-opening concept.
11/13/09
An engrossing surreal comedy that takes an inventive look at soul, dreams, emotions, and the emptiness of a life devoid of meaning.
03/30/09
A dreary-looking, glacially paced collection of missed opportunities.
08/25/09
inarguably Kaufman Lite, but I'm not sure if that's something to bemoan
08/06/09
An amusing slice of existential whimsy with an Eastern European bent.
08/05/09
Top Critic...plays like "The Golden Compass" without the depth crossed with "Being John Malkovich" with far less wit.
08/07/09
Like a collision of Charlie Kaufman and Woody Allen, this dark comedy is a surreal gem.
11/13/09
You wear a smile right through the surrealist spoof Cold Souls, but leave the theatre feeling somehow under-entertained.
08/07/09
Top CriticLatest News for Cold Souls
November 22, 2009:
Win Double Passes to Cold Souls
In the tradition of Charlie Kaufman and Woody Allen comes writer-director Sophie Bathes' debut Cold Souls an existential comedy about an actor (Paul Giamatti, playing himself)... More...
August 06, 2009:
Critics Consensus: It's Quiet For G.I. Joe. Too Quiet.
This week at the movies, we got real American heroes (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, starring Dennis Quaid and Sienna Miller); kitchen chronicles (Julie & Julia, starring Meryl... More...
June 21, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review 
More...
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